Level Up (12) - The Fan's Supercar Gift
A supercar gift from a fan. There's no way I could just leave it unseen. The members all congratulated me on the unexpected luxury present and headed to the garage.
"Whoa!!!!!! It's red!"
"How much do you think that costs?"
"It looks insanely expensive."
"Isn't that the Zeus Z-107?!"
Zeus was the name of a famous car brand in this world. Think of it like BMW or Lamborghini back on Earth—it made things easier to grasp.
The excited shout from Kang Kyungtae, who seemed to know the most about cars among us, got everyone else hyped up too.
"For real?? Whoa~! It's got the Zeus emblem!!"
"How much is that thing even worth?"
"At least over 100 million won, right?"
"A gift like that?? Talk about class."
"Hyungs, let's take it for a spin. Noona! Mind if we just test drive it quick?"
"Not yet—hasn't been inspected. Later."
"Then let's at least snap some pics!"
"Photos are fine, but no posting on SNS or bragging anywhere."
"Got it!"
The kids were way more excited than the actual recipient. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this car was now mine.
"I don't even have enough in my bank account to buy this thing yet. Is it really okay for me to own something like it?"
Thanks to our short trainee period, we'd gotten our settlements quick, but the costs of activities ate into that, so it wasn't a huge sum. And with my national support stipend cut off now that I was employed, I worried I'd blow all my earnings just maintaining the car.
"What if accepting something this big causes problems later?"
"Car gifts are extravagant, sure, but they're not unheard of."
"...If it's not unheard of, does that mean other people have gifted stuff like this before?"
"When a woman's obsessed with a guy, what can't she do? Gifts are a double-edged sword. That's why you always have to be cautious—you never know what kind of madness is hidden behind them."
Stuff like hiding cameras in dolls was so common it was boring. In extreme cases, fans wrote letters in their own menstrual blood, baked food laced with their bodily fluids, or made accessories from their hair and nails. Long-time agency vets said working in entertainment toughens you up—you stop being surprised by anything.
"That's why you never casually eat food from so-called 'fans' out there."
"Yeah, yeah~"
Manager Noona's nagging could pop up anytime, anywhere. Even a short chat could veer into a lecture before you knew it.
"Anyway, looks like you've got a big spender on your tail, Haesol. Starting with a foreign supercar? Not a good sign. Hope it's the quiet type who just drops gifts and vanishes...."
The company was keeping a close eye on the fan who'd sent the car, from what I'd heard.
"They knew we wouldn't accept it outright, so they played it smart. Bet they've chased other guys with gift offensives before."
"Could this person cause trouble later?"
"Maybe? Sometimes they force a gift on you, then show up later acting entitled. Like, 'I did this for you—how can you not do that for me?' Hard to ignore when it's such an expensive item, even if you didn't ask for it."
"After shoving an unwanted gift on you, right?"
"If the world ran on common sense, why would trashy dramas exist?"
"Then let's not take it. I'm too busy with schedules anyway—don't wanna be stuck with high-maintenance car upkeep."
Passing up the chance to own a supercar stung, but I didn't want to be tripped up by fan gifts like this. How was I supposed to stomach someone lording an unwanted present over me?
"Even if you refuse, there's no real way to return it."
"They refuse the refusal, huh."
"That's what makes 'em clever. Most celebs know but can't avoid it."
At first, they claim no strings attached. They shower you with luxury items, no problem. But humans get hooked easy—the first time's hard, the second's a breeze. Once you're used to unconditional fan gifts, that's when they ramp up.
"So what do they want after all that?"
"...I'll leave that to your imaginations."
Manager Noona pulled back, like the topic was getting risky. Either way, I'd learned accepting the car was like swallowing poison. Made me immediately sour on owning it.
"You sure it's okay to drive? After hearing that, it feels sketchy."
"Huhu, you think this ends with one incident? Gifts will keep coming steadily. Best to just get used to it."
"What can the company do?"
"Block 'em if you want. But most guys don't wanna."
"Ah...!"
Someone rich enough for gifts like this had serious wealth. In a world where you didn't need to pick just one woman, connecting with her wasn't bad for a guy.
"What if I say no?"
"We'll store the car for you. But you can't dodge this forever. Easier to adapt, right? It's all luck of the draw. Some are purely fans gifting out of love—you can't reject everything on suspicion."
Still, over 100 million won felt too iffy to accept lightly.
"Once I'm big enough to handle gifts like that on my own, I'll take 'em. Then if they show up demanding something, I can deal."
"...Wise choice."
Manager Noona patted my shoulder approvingly.
"Was gonna beg hyung for a ride, but nope!"
"Nah, we'll level up our skills so we buy cars like that ourselves—not beg fans for 'em."
"Gonna take crazy effort to afford one...."
The kids couldn't tear their eyes off the Zeus Z, full of regret. Even car-haters would crave one upon seeing it in person. Honestly, as a human, I felt the pull too. Leaving it to rot in the company lot? What a tragic end. Cars weren't made to gather dust un-driven. Felt wrong, so I racked my brain and came up with a plan.
"How 'bout this? Sell it and donate the proceeds."
"Huh? Donate?"
"Whoa! Donate?!"
The kids were too young to think about charity much. Tight settlements made "donation" feel even more distant.
"Post a polite notice so it doesn't offend the fan: 'The car is too burdensome a gift; I'd like to return it. If unclaimed after a period, we'll sell it and donate to a good cause. No more luxury items going forward—if forced, same process: donate.'"
"Uh...you sure?"
"Yeah. Great PR, right?"
"Huge. You'll get called a wholesome idol."
I was starting to take my idol job seriously. Didn't want a well-intentioned fan gift turning into a headache.
"What, hyung hogging all the cool points? Include me!"
"We'll do it under the group name."
"Feels copycat and embarrassing, but I'll do it like hyung. If I get one later, handle it the same."
"Me too!"
"Can't sit out."
"Don't say it just 'cause of me. No need to fake it among us."
Worried they felt pressured. Plenty of idols happily took luxury fan gifts—I might just be picky.
"I'll be big enough to buy my own like hyung said!!"
Ki Uyeon bounced with ambition. But sly Nam Eungyu nudged Manager Noona with a loophole.
"Just set the 'luxury' bar at 10 million won or more."
"...Agreed."
"M-me too."
Aigoo~ What goofy kids.
？ ？ ？
Honey Enter put out the announcement, just as I'd planned. We grabbed attention again—bigger than I'd expected.
First, as the idol who'd gotten a supercar gift. Then, for planning to sell it and donate. Curious about fan reactions, I checked online—fans were sobbing over our "bright personalities." And surprisingly, the donation buzz pushed our song to #2.
"It actually worked."
"We could hit #1?!"
"Nah, Jelly Nyang sunbaenims are too OP."
"We're at #2 already. Why not #1?"
"Would be awesome, but company says don't get hopes up."
"Tch! Gotta cheer, not crush morale from the start. That's why I should've been on the team."
Right now, I was lying naked on the bed. On top of me lay Ahyun, equally nude.
After quitting the company to study composing full-time, Ahyun was as busy as me.
Busy or not, some things gotta get done.
Of course, romance waits for no schedule. I savored her soft body after so long. I didn't hold back on intimate, naughty spots, slowly heating her up.
We'd stripped wildly upon meeting, but I didn't rush straight in—instead, I asked about her recent life.
"How's composing lessons going?"
"Dunno. Time flies too fast."
"Time?"
"Sit down to make a song, look up—sun's already set."
"Whoa~ That bad?"
"And after all that time, nothing to show for it."
"Hm..."
"Do I even have talent? Starting to worry. Lessons pump me up like 'I can do this!!' but sitting at the computer, every note's trash.... Mood's all over the place lately."
She vented frustrations from composing struggles. Starting something new meant lots of trial and error.
May Lin and Joanna got inspiration from sex with me—maybe Ahyun could too?
Were they geniuses? Or was it me being special, like they said?
"Ahyun."
"Yeah?"
"Heard from someone—why not find your own muse?"
"Muse? Muse... yeah..."
It was random, but she perked up, mumbling "muse."
Her eyes drifted up; I pulled mine down to meet hers. Grinning mischievously, I said,
"Like, say, someone like me."
One round with her muse might spark a killer song.